Starting Tomorrow, 'With Corona'… Private Gatherings Allowed Up to 12 People

On the 29th, the government announced the implementation plan for Phase 1 of the new quarantine system, 'Step-by-Step Recovery of Daily Life,' starting from the 1st of next month. A member is exercising at a gym in Mapo-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Changhwan Lee] Starting from 5 a.m. on the 1st of next month, the first phase of the "gradual return to daily life" (With Corona) easing plan will be implemented, significantly relaxing quarantine measures.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) on the 31st, the government will begin Phase 1 from the 1st of next month in accordance with the three-phase implementation plan for the gradual return to daily life from COVID-19, finalized on the 29th.

With the start of Phase 1, restrictions on business hours for livelihood facilities will be lifted. Most multi-use facilities such as restaurants and cafes will be able to operate 24 hours.

However, high-risk infection facilities such as entertainment venues, colatecs, and dance halls will still be subject to a midnight (12 a.m.) operating hour restriction.

Private gatherings will be allowed up to 10 people in the metropolitan area and up to 12 people in non-metropolitan areas, regardless of vaccination status. However, in restaurant and cafe gatherings, only up to 4 unvaccinated individuals can join. This measure takes into account that these are spaces where people remove masks and converse.

The quarantine pass will also be enforced. To enter approximately 130,000 high-risk facilities such as singing practice rooms, bathhouses, indoor sports facilities like gyms, entertainment venues, and horse racing, bicycle racing, and casinos, or to visit patients and residents at vulnerable facilities such as medical institutions, nursing homes, facilities for the severely disabled, and dementia care centers, one must present a vaccination completion certificate or a negative PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test result.

However, those under 18 years old, COVID-19 recovered individuals, and people who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons are exempt from the quarantine pass and will not face restrictions on facility entry without certificates.

The number of participants allowed at events and gatherings will also increase in Phase 1. Including unvaccinated individuals, up to 99 people can gather, and if only vaccinated or negative-tested individuals participate, up to 499 people can assemble.

However, for weddings, exhibitions, fairs, international conferences, and similar events that could previously be held with over 100 people including unvaccinated individuals, the existing capacity limits will continue to apply.

Movie theaters and outdoor sports stadiums may designate "vaccinated-only zones," where eating and drinking will be permitted exclusively within these areas.

Unless there is a sudden surge in confirmed cases or other unforeseen circumstances, the return to daily life is expected to proceed over three phases at six-week intervals. Each phase includes a four-week implementation period and a two-week evaluation period, and the next phase will only proceed if the quarantine situation remains stable.

In the Phase 2 revision, the midnight operating hour restrictions currently applied only to entertainment venues, colatecs, and dance halls will be lifted. The quarantine pass will also be gradually removed starting with lower-risk facilities.

Events attended only by vaccinated or negative-tested individuals will have no capacity limits, allowing for performances with tens of thousands of attendees. However, the quarantine pass will newly apply to large-scale events with over 100 people.

The government plans to adjust the scope of outdoor mask-wearing and its removal in Phase 2.

In the Phase 3 revision, all restrictions on private gatherings and event attendance will be lifted, leaving only basic rules such as indoor mask-wearing and electronic entry logs or safe call systems.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.